In this instructable I lay out the steps I took to re-create one of the element talismans as seen in Disney's "Frozen II"

For those unfamiliar, the movie features talismans that represent the 4 elements: earth, wind, fire, and water. Each has their own unique emblem and color and are represented with diamond-shapes throughout the film.

My daughter had a birthday coming up, and like most young girls her age...she is obsesses with the film She loves pretending to have the different elemental powers so it struck me I could create one of these talismans for her to play with! She loved the final product and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out as well.

The whole project came together pretty quickly and I was able to use materials that were in my shop already. So If you're looking for a fun, simple project for that little Frozen fan of yours... look no further!

Supplies

Materials:

.75" pine board (i used a piece that was roughly 4"x12")

Acrylic Paints

Polyurethane

Tools:

Table Saw

Cross Cut Sled

Belt Sander

Dremel

Ball-end Dremel carving bit

Paint Brushes

Straight edges

Pencils

Step 1: Rough Cut the Shape

Using a table saw and a cross cut sled I cut the pine board to the rough diamond shape. I cut each face of the diamond at a 15 degree angle.

A safety note:

As the sides of diamond are cut at a low-angle, it is important to use something to securely hold the wood...as the path of the cut will leave your fingers very near the blade and you';; be cutting a relatively narrow board. I did this by using a cross-cut sled. This is a tool that sits on the table saw cut surface and slides back and forth across the saw. This allows a piece of wood to be attached to the sled and then I am able to make a cut by moving the sled rather than having to hold on to the wood. This ensures that the blades never come near my fingers. I prefer it that way.

I'm rather attached to my fingers.

For those that don't have a cross-cut sled (or a table saw) you could do this with either a band saw or jigsaw.

Step 2: Sanding Bevels

Next, the edges of the diamond just cut need to be beveled. I did this with a bench-mounted belt sander.

To help me in making this a consistent bevel, I made lines marking the middle of the thickness on each of the cut faces as well as a line on the top and bottom face (offset from the edge by 3/8 to 1/2 inches)

With the marks made, the only thing to do was to sand away. I modified the angle of the grind until I had a bevel that went from the top face to the middle of the cut face on each of the edges.

Step 3: Carving Element Designs

Using a Dremel, with a ball-end carving bit, I carved the designs associated with the elements into the wood. MY daughter prefers the fire and wind elements, so I put one on each side of the talisman.

Step 4: Painting

At this point the woodworking tools are ready to be stashed away, and it's time to break out the painting supplies.

I painted this with several coats:

1) a while base coat

2) a teal coat

3) a dark blue/purple coat

After this final coat, and while the paint was still wet I distressed the edges of the bevel with a paper towel. By rubbing the paper towel over the bevel edges, I selectively remove the dark paint and reveal the lighter teal color underneath. This created a textured effect on the edges of the talisman.

I then proceeded to paint each of the sides of the talisman with the corresponding color pallets used in the Frozen (pink/purple/white for fire and yellow/orange/red for wind)

Step 5: Apply Polyurethane Sealant Coat and Final Reveal

With the painting completed, the final step is to seal the surface with polyurethane. Once cured, the polyurethane will protect the painted surface of the talisman.

Now for the final reveal! ;)